Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I have not had sight of the individual sectoral reports that the Minister stated were on each Department's website, but I have with me the Civil Service sectoral plan. The contingency plans are contained in an appendix to the document, which can be found on the Minister's departmental website. What is striking is the fact that the appendix is scant on detail. It repeatedly makes assertions that redeployment will be the first port of call, but that the Government will be seeking additional sanctioned posts. The appendix does not supply numbers in that regard. Commitments on protecting front line services are made. The Courts Service has helpfully stated that it hopes to keep the courts operational, yet it is losing nearly 60 personnel.

There is no evidence of the type of detailed, robust planning that the Minister claims has been under way for some time. Will he give the House a stronger sense of the planning in respect of the Courts Service and our health services? Some 500 mental health nurses are due to exit the system. Money has been ring-fenced for 400 new personnel, but that will leave us 100 short. This is the mathematics of it. There comes a point at which one cannot do more with less.

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